12 reasons why I will never go back to an urban lifestyle.

Article and Photo by Alicia Sakal

Simply put, “Big City Life” can be very stressful. For this reason, my husband and I made the decision several years ago to buy real estate in Small Town, USA for a much better quality of life.

If we had to work our lives away, we decided to at least live in a place that felt like we retired early and were on vacation in the evenings and weekends. So this is how we ended up living in a scenic small town community in Connecticut, Population – 3,500. Our Connecticut / New York border town is just 90 minutes away from New York City, yet it feels like a different planet.

12 Reasons I Will Never Go Back to Urban Living…

1. Oxygen, Glorious Oxygen. There’s nothing like fresh air, and plenty of it.

2. Well Water. Naturally pure, thirst quenching H2O that happens to be free.

3. Farm Fresh Produce. Organic, local farmers market options. Farmland is plentiful. Strawberry, blackberry, and blueberry picking… a favorite of mine. We have a winery; too, that’s part of the Connecticut Wine Trail.

4. Spectacular Country Views. We enjoy breathtaking sunsets, sparkling lake water, mountains full of trees, and crystal clear night skies perfect for stargazing with our child.

5. Outdoor Recreation Activities. Choices are endless like boating and swimming on a lake, biking and hiking on trails, and horseback riding at farms.

6. Family-Friendly Neighborhoods. We, “The Locals”, know each other. All of us have names. We smile and wave” hi” to each other. It’s extremely civilized in a small town, and we try to help each other out.

7. No Rush Hour Traffic. There’s only one traffic light in my small town. “Rush hour” is 5 cars in a row, a duck crossing, or a tractor slowdown.

8. No Strip Malls or Overdeveloped Land. A typical New England small town may consist of the necessities like a bank, small grocery store, post office, library, and a small church. “Maybe” even a block or two of unique retail shops, along with a few restaurants. If the town is “lucky”, there might be a gas station.

9. Slower Paced Lifestyle. Ahhh, peace and tranquility. There’s very little stress out in the middle of “the country”.

10. No Crowds. Lines are never long at the post office or bank.

11. Low Crime Rate. No place is ever crime-free, but it’s nice to live in an area with low criminal activity.

12. Lower Taxes. We only have a Pre-K through Eighth Grade school. Since there is no high school, this is one main reason why taxes are low. High school teens have their choice of 4 reputable high schools in neighboring towns.

I definitely don’t miss some of the major “Big City” negatives like expensive real estate prices, crowds of people, air and noise pollution, and high crime rates. I’ll take my pure, clean air any day with a much lower cost of living.

Originally Published on Yahoo!